Roc Brewing Co. Review

by Daniel on February 28, 2012

Photo borrowed from http://rochester.metromix.com

I finally made it out to the Roc Brewing Co. here in Rochester, NY. It was well worth it, and I wish I had stopped in earlier! The building they are located in was purchased by an architecture firm, and the inside and out reflect it. The clean lines and simple & bright interior make it very inviting. Bags of barley grain hanging from the ceiling add a unique accent that emphasizes these guys’ passion for brewing.

The brewers (one of whom was serving at the time of my visit) and the beers are equally welcoming, and the overall atmosphere addictive. When I sat down at the bar, I was greeted by brewer/owner Jon Mervine, who quickly served me up the sampler platter of the four beers currently on tap. Please look for an upcoming post for my detailed review of the beers themselves. At that time, these were: Golden Ale, Cullinan’s Irish Red, Dark Mild, Kyoto Protocol IPA.

I’d like to simply describe my first experience here, and delve into the beers later. Speaking with Jon was extremely inspiring to me as an aspiring home brewer. You can see the passion in his eyes and emanating from the tips of his finely waxed mustache. He loves his beers, and obviously all of the patrons in his establishment love them too (myself included). Many that walked in while I was enjoying my sampler were greeted by name. It’s really a small town feel here that I totally dig. The whole atmosphere of the tasting room, the brewers, and the patrons instantly made me want to be a regular. I can’t wait to come back to try what’s going to be new on tap this weekend: Oatmeal Stout (from what I hear is one of their most popular), and a “test batch” of a new and exotic IPA.

The Roc Brewing Co. is quite small, brewing 1 barrel (30 gallons, or 2 kegs) per batch. This gives them the enormous advantage of being very versatile–to be able to try new beers all the time and to see if the customers like them. Jon even informed me that on their Facebook page they are taking votes for what kind of beer to make next! Their business model I think is very close to what I envision my little brewpub to be: Big enough to make plenty beers for people to enjoy locally, small enough to be able to change and adapt and try new things. I’m definitely archiving this in the back of my mind for my hopefully eventual attempt at starting my own nano-brewery/brewpub. Thank you Jon for a great first experience. I can’t wait to come back for more fantastic beer, and a tour too!

To read about my tasting reviews of some of their signature beers check these out: